Finishing That Thought....

So it has been a few weeks since I returned from my whirlwind weekend  which looked a little like this....Friday night concert in Pittsburgh, PA for the LWML National Convention, a Saturday noon set in Prescott Valley, AZ and then an evening concert opening for Casting Crowns, followed by a next day fly out to San Antonio TX to speak and sing to 27,000+ youth at the Alamodome for the National Youth Gathering. Wow, looking back, I think about all that God packed into that weekend and I am blown away.

Since then I have been on the road traveling with family and now I sit, finally processing all that God did. I stand amazed.

There is still so much inside my heart that I can't express, so I am going to get to the punch and tell you what blew me away the most. It pretty simple actually.

God answered my prayer!

My prayer was this.."Lord, may your Spirit pierce the hearts of your people the way that YOU desire and not the way that I may want to. Will you change them, will you change me and speak to us with what you want us to hear and not the points that I want to get across"

He did it! The stories that I heard in response to my words and songs that weekend confirmed that only God could have spoken to their hearts in such a way, only God through His Spirit can sink that deep.

Only God could have set me on stage during the worst migraine of my life (and I have had many) and taken the pain for away that moment so that I could sing with all my heart to share His message through song. Only God! Only God!

As I said to a crowd of 27,000 as they cheered when I told them of the victory Christ had in my life,  I exclaimed "THAT'S OUR GOD!"

That is our God, That is what He does.... Our God, Our God!!

Amen and Amen!

Now, if you like pictures and fake hashtags..#ENJOY!

Speaking at the Alamodome, San Antonio TX

Yes, that's me in the background. Not embarrassing at all...NOT!

LOL

Walking through the Convention Center meeting so many wonderful people

Singing "How He Loves" at the NYG Post Mass Event

One of my favorite things...Talking to people!
#NYG #San Antonio

This lady surprised me and made my day. One hug from Terry Kieschnick, former First Lady of the LCMS and your smile grows a little bit bigger!
#NYG #San Antonio

Met some youth from our alma mater, Walther Lutheran High School, Melrose Park, IL
#San Antonio #NYG

 An amazing women of God, Jessica Stevens, shared with the gathering the  miracle that God did in her life
#NYG #San Antonio

 Ran into a group from #Chicago~ My hometown
#NYG #San Antonio

Great time meeting so many people

#NYG #San Antonio

Even met a cousin that I had never met before
#NYG #San Antonio

Getting to see my long time friend, Kim
#NYG #San Antonio

 Jason Gray amazing artist who sang that night as well with Casting Crowns
#ELEVATE Music Fest AZ

 Waiting to sound check with Jonny Diaz in Prescott Valley, AZ

Performing at the ELEVATE Music Fest, AZ opening for Casting Crowns

Got to eat lunch with hundreds of women that came to hear our story of grace

#LWML PA

 My husband and I share our testimony in Pittsburgh, PA LWML Convention

 Debbie, who I first met in Nashville, drives in to be my roadie extraordinaire for the night in PA

#lifesaver

Thought #1

I have a feeling that it is going to take me a few days to finish this post. It has been a whirlwind of a week and I have so much in my heart to share that I'm not even sure how to get it all out. I am going to write a few thoughts just to get them down and I have no idea what this will look like after I process my thoughts, rewrite what I have written and hear more from the Lord.

The one thing that is pressed so heavy on me, especially after spending four days with 25,000 youth and hearing so many stories of brokenness and pain, is this.... Ultimately, our youth (and all of us) don't want us to fix them or give them all the answers..... they just want to be heard, to know that they matter, to know that their feelings matter.... simply put, they just want someone to listen and to know that they are loved regardless.

Maybe that's enough for this post, maybe I don't even need to write anymore, maybe I just need to stop talking and simply listen.

End of an Era

Sometimes, I just like reading what my husband writes. I love him so....Enjoy reading a bit from his heart as he shares a note after his last game of the season.

 KOEHNE'S CORNER WEEKLY NOTE

As many of you know, coaching is one of my true joys in life. On Saturday, another season came to an end as our boys basketball team was eliminated from the playoffs. Just like every year, it is tough to walk into the locker room after the last game and say thank you to the seniors as it is the last time I will get to coach them. This year’s senior class has special meaning as they were the first group to start with me at Valley.

On an even more personal level, it was difficult as it was the last game in which I coached my own son. In fact, after 13 straight years of coaching one of my 3 children in some sport, that era came to an end on Saturday. When I think about the countless hours spent at little league practice, in the gym, on the football field or at the tumbling gym, it is hard for me to imagine that part of my life has passed by. Thankfully, what hasn't passed by are the memories or the lessons taught and learned during those experiences.

I don't think I could ever coach at a place where I couldn't share my faith and the truth about Jesus Christ. As I talked Saturday with the players, I could honestly tell them that while it hurts to lose and fall short of our team goal, in the end that doesn't really matter. The only truly important thing in life is their relationship with Jesus. 

Through the season we had I hope that the players’ faith was able to grow and they trust in Him more now than they did 4 months ago. As a coach I have learned that while wins are nice, the only true victories are the hearts won over for Christ. 
~BOB KOEHNE~ 

The Best Worst Giver

I have said many times "This was the best Christmas ever", but this year I really mean it. This was the best Christmas ever!!

My husband and I are not big on shopping or getting caught up in the hustle and bustle of the Holiday season. We try to take it slow, lay back and try to keep things in perspective. This year turned out much differently than other years in that no one made it to a store to do ANY shopping and the amazing part of it was that none of us felt any pressure to either.

So where does this leave us? Let's see, Christmas Eve we attended church, came home and had a wonderful family dinner and then gathered around the tree where there were a few cards from some family. Now feeling a bit of the pressure, unbeknownst to the other family members everyone quietly proceeded to go wrap their "gifts."

Well, it turned out that we all had the same idea...lets sneak into peoples room, find things that belong to them and wrap them up! And that's just what happened.

As the kids began to open there frantically wrapped presents we all quickly realized that each gift was a joke waiting to happen. My daughter laughed as she opened a box with one of her slippers in it, a half eaten candy bar, an empty CD case and some clothes pins.

As the gift event went on, we turned each turn into an opportunity to laugh, each laugh bigger than the one before.

Being a competitive family, it became a sort of competition to see who gave the best "Worst" gift. Even the gifts that we gave our kids (which was a envelope with some cash) had a used item from their own room and was met with tons of laughter.

I guess what made that Christmas Eve so special, obviously, was not the gifts, but truly the time together laughing and loving each other. While we didn't plan to do a gift-less Christmas, I tell you, it just doesn't get much better than this.

So we already have plans for next year.....The gift giving competition. Find the best worst gift from Goodwill and carry the title for a year of "The Best Worst Giver". Granted, this may not work in most families, but for us, Koehne's, it works just fine!!

What Day Is It?

I feel as though I entered a cave and three days later suddenly emerged. Not sure where the last three days have gone, but I do know that there has been a lot of long hours, work and some amazing music going on. Please know that I am not complaining  Camping out in a recording studio is probably one of my favorite places on earth!!

Watching my producer get the very best out of the musicians who are already at the top of their game is a thrill to watch. The creativity and the expertise is pretty astonishing. What also amazes me is how through the direction and wisdom of my producer Jeff McCullough, I am also able to give my very best. It is a growing and stretching experience for me to be pushed vocally and emotionally in ways I have never been pushed before and see the fruit of that captured in sound.

Thank you all for the persistent prayers. It is humbling to see how God responds. His faithfulness is overwhelming. Thank you for going to the throne on behalf of me, my family, the ministry of music and all of us that are pushing through to see this to completion.

God is so much bigger than it all and it is truly an honor to be a part of something that he is doing.

PRAYER REQUESTS
Continued health and strength as we finish off the vocals
For our families at home
Doors to open so that many have the opportunity to hear this music

Stand Firm

Sometimes my life is like a series of unfortunate events...Tripping on stage, hitting my head on boom mics while singing, running out of gas, walking into doors....and today having the water shut off mid shower at the hotel. All these things are par for the course when it comes to me, but today some of the things that were happening were clearly spiritual warfare.

It is no surprise for me that Satan would try and hinder what we are doing as I know how powerful the music that we are working on is. This CD is going to be amazing, I already know this by evidence of all the things that were happening today. Yet in the midst of it all, even more amazing things were accomplished.

It is such a powerful thing to have a producer who prays for you, prays in the midst of music and who, at every glitch, calls on the name of Jesus. I am truly blessed to be working with some amazing people this week.

Jeff McCullough a brilliant music producer

Arnie Vilches a beautifully gifted guitarist

Mark Snyder the talented writer of most of the songs

........and getting to go out some cool new restaurants. I give a thumbs up to Agrusa's 

PRAYER REQUESTS

Protection From the devil's scheme's

Strength for our families as we work hard to complete these recording

Health & Strength

Thank again for your support!

Left Behind-Intersections

Sometimes we (and by we, I mean, I) are on a journey and in the middle of our journey it intersects with someone else's journey. My journey is not about me, it's about what God is going to do with and through me to shape me so that I may be a part of another's journey so that that they, in turn, can be a part of someone else's.

Love God, Love others. The mission and the call is clear.

Today as I was traveling, I entered California at a different point than I normally do. So the drive was new...pretty much a two lane highway through the desert, but at one point in the middle of nowhere, I came across what I thought was an interesting structure. It seemed so out of place, like it was in the middle of nowhere. I decided to pull over and check it out. What I quickly discovered was that the structures were the remnants of a fire. The shoes dangling over the rafters were tributes to lives lost and the graffiti messages were memorials to loved ones gone.

As I stood there, I thought of those who passed and I prayed for those left behind to pick up the pieces, those whose lives are forever changed, those who mourn.

I don't know what happened, but what I do know is that for a moment my journey collided into the reality of another's and all I could do was pray.